An officer who was terminated from his job at an Illinois warehouse opened fire on his workplace Friday, killing five people and wounding five police officers, authorities said.

Gary Martin, 45, shot several employees Friday, same Police Chief Kristen Ziman told reporters the day of his termination and immediately began shooting at police officers after they arrived at the warehouse in the Chicago suburb of Aurora. Martin, who was armed with a Smith & Wesson handgun, was killed about an hour and a half later.

Investigators have said little else that would explain the rampage, including why Martin, who has been 1

5 years old at the warehouse, was being fired. Police have not said whether the victims were his co-workers or supervisors, or if Martin knew of his termination beforehand. It also remains unclear where and how he got the gun.

"I hate that we have to use the term classic workplace shooting. That sins me to do so. At this time I do not know, "Ziman told reporters Friday. "Again, we can only assume that with a gentleman who's being terminated that this was something he intended to do."

The Aurora Police Department scheduled to have another news conference Saturday in 10:30 am. Central time.

The five wounded officers were taken to local hospitals, two of whom were transferred to trauma centers. All are expected to survive, police said. One warehouse employee suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.

Several 911 calls came just before 1:30 pm. Friday Ziman said that Martin shot the officers immediately after they arrived at the 29,000-square-foot warehouse of Henry Pratt Co., which manufactures water valves. Martin hid in the warehouse, and the police spent the next hour and a half finding him inside the massive facility. Gabriel Gonzales, a veteran of the Iraq War Marine who can see the Henry Pratt warehouse from his front yard, said the number of police vehicles flashing off, while police found Martin, he fired at the officers who then killed him, Ziman said.

lights and armored cars Friday afternoon were giving him flashbacks.

"When you are a combat zone you expect it," Gonzales said. "I've never seen this many police officers anywhere."

He was watching his grandchildren, who were mesmerized by the activity unfolding through the window, and worried about their brother Anthony, whose school was put under locked down. [19659011] "My grandson had a lockdown at 8 years old. I mean, can you believe that? "Gonzalez said. "Back when I was a kid, it was just a tornado"

At the news conference, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin said the shooting marked "a sad day in the city."

First responders and emergency vehicles are gathered near The scene of a shooting at an industrial park in Aurora, Ill., on Friday, February. 15, 2019. (Bev Horne / Daily Herald via AP)

"For so many years, we've seen similar situations throughout our nation," he said. "To experience it firsthand is even more painful."

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) commends the efforts of law enforcement officers and first responders before lamenting the "epidemic of gun violence that continues to ravage so many communities."

Victims' families, he said, "join a group that should not exist , still continues to grow. "

Tiffany Probst, 38, a legal assistant said that her best friend saw a post on Facebook about the shooting and she began texting" that your dad might be inside! "

Her father, John , has worked as a machinist in the building for over 40 years. He has three grown children and has five grandchildren. Probst raced down to the factory, but it was blocked by the police.

"I knew there was no way to call him because he's old school and never have a cellphone," then she heard from friends tessed giving TV interviews and talking with the police.

"He's safe and talking to the news," she said. "He's not a lot of a talker, but when it comes to this, I can tell by his voice he's really shaken up. We are looking forward to giving him a hug. "

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) Tweeted Friday that she was following the situation. "This is a scary, sad day for all Illinoisans and Americans," Duckworth wrote . "Thank you to the brave first responders who risked their lives this afternoon and apprehended the shooter."

[One year later, public support for stricter gun laws has returned to pre-Parkland levels]

"My heart breaks for Aurora," Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) Tweeted . "I'm tracking updates on the situation with my staff. Thank you to the members of the law enforcement who respond to the emergency. "

The shooting took place just a day after the first anniversary of mass shootings that killed 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The young survivors have since become one of the loudest advocates for stronger gun laws, spurring a social media movement with the hashtag #NeverAgain. Nancy Caal, who works at Erwin's Truck Repair near the scene of shooting, told The Post that she heard the din of sirens as a police officer. Cars and ambulances rushed to the building behind her.

She and two others put the shop on lockdown when they saw tightly armed officers heading towards the nearby Henry Pratt warehouse.

"Nobody told us nothing," she said. A gunman, James Holmes, opened fire in a movie theater in 2012, killing 12 people and injuring 70 others. "The similarity was not lost at Nick Metz, the police chief of Aurora, Colo."

"Aurora mass shootings are what we talking about? '' he said is on Twitter.

Mark Berman and Julie Tate contributed to this report.

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